Moxon instructs batsmen to go out and perform

— 25 April 2014

Yorkshire’s batsmen should relish the opportunity to go head to head with England fast bowler Steven Finn in tomorrow’s LV= County Championship match at Lord’s, according to director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

Finn has quickly recovered from a winter of discontent, which saw him carry the drinks on England’s failed Ashes tour and not play any form of international match whilst Down Under.

The 25-year-old returned home early to work on his game, and that move has already reaped rewards.

After two Championship matches, the tall quick is the leading wicket-taker in either division with 15 wickets, including a six-wicket haul, a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul.

He is in the kind of form that could send shivers down a batsman’s spine.

Moxon, however, has urged Yorkshire’s batsmen to look forward to the task in hand. His theory; if you impress against the best, you will get noticed!

“With his pace and height like Liam (Plunkett) for us, Finn creates opportunities,” he said.

“But it is good for the batsmen too to have players like that around to have the opportunity to play at that level higher.

“If you are looking to be an England player, if you are getting runs against the better attacks, it shows you have the potential to play at that level higher.

“What everybody has said about county cricket at the start of this season is that most of the international players are playing in it, and all the players know there are places up for grabs. It is really keen competition.”

“Middlesex are a good team when all of their players are available – Finn, Morgan, Rogers, Robson, Murtagh, who is a good bowler. They will challenge you.

“It is not an easy place to go to play, and whoever is on the team sheet we still need to perform.”

The trip to the Home of Cricket is the first of two away trips for Yorkshire, who also travel to the North East to face champions Durham next Sunday.

It is amazing to think that by the end of that clash, a quarter of the season will have already been played.

“By the end of the Durham game, if you want to say our (title) credentials are being tested, then they will have been,” said Moxon. “At the end of those games we will have a good idea of where we sit. It is going to be an interesting couple of weeks.”

Yorkshire go to Lord’s in good spirits on the back of their innings victory over Northamptonshire earlier this week.

And they also go with good memories of facing Middlesex. They completed the double over the London county last season, including a ten-wicket victory at tomorrow’s venue.

“As an all-round performance, yes (that was as good as we produced),” added Moxon.

“We batted well, and the bowling in both innings was excellent. Edgbaston and Trent Bridge were good performances too. We showed through the season that we could be consistent enough.”